New Digital Radio System for the Rose City

Right now the city of Thomasville communicates using different radio systems and city officials say in emergencies it can lead to confusion.

The Rose City wants all of its employees on the same frequency.

Steve Sykes, Thomasville City manager, says, "We have all different types of radio systems; there's probably four different types of systems."

Sykes says the plan is to consolidate the different systems into one communication entity, and in an emergency situation, city employees from fire to utilities will be able to communicate more efficiently.

Don Atkinson, Assistant City Manager for Utilities, says, "The big thing too is safety. When there's a safety issue out there it's important to get the right party, get the service to them and respond."

Steve Sykes adds, "Information exchange is so crucial in an emergency, and that's why we really couple these two goals together, our disaster planning and our communication system into a common focus."

A goal the city says will ultimately benefit the community with faster and easier ways of getting the word out. The new radio system is a city-wide effort to improve communication, but the city manager says they eventually hope to get the county on board so that every employee in the community can talk freely.

The city manager says they hope to have the radio system in place by the end of the year.

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